Golden, Colorado, Celebrates a Western Icon with Buffalo Bill Days

Golden, Colorado is preparing to celebrate the life of Buffalo Bill, an annual party that has grown in size to be the city's biggest celebration of the year. The city's recent July Fourth Celebration was a huge success, so that's really saying something. Check the schedule for all the events, from mutton bustin' to concerts, which run from Wednesday July 25, 2007 to Sunday July 29. As always, the organizers request that after the shotgun opening, and excepting the shows, please, no shootin' off your six-gun!

The name Buffalo Bill may be familiar, but perhaps just the image of an outlaw-type person, or a frontiersman. Like many stories of the old West, there is the legend, and there is the very human man, in this case a man celebrated as "not only a doer but a seer", recognizing the need to preserve the American West and highly critical of the hunting that was to drive the buffalo nearly to extinction. According to Americanwest.com, William Fredrick Cody was even a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Buffalo Bill was many things besides skilled at hunting buffalo, he was a hotel manager, trapper, Colorado "Fifty-Niner", Pony Express Rider, stagecoach driver, and Civil War soldier.

Buffalo Bill had respect for the Indians as a former scout, and urged the US Government to keep its promises to them. He advocated parity in women's pay, and suffrage, having seen in the western towns how women could hold their own with men.

In later years, Buffalo Bill became a showman, recreating the old West for audiences in the US and, for ten years, in Europe as well, including being a featured performer in Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, according to Americanwest.com.

To honor this complex and visionary man, Golden's celebration features a wide variety of events, located near or in the downtown area, accessible even by bus from Denver. From a recreation of the Wild West Show for which Buffalo Bill was famous, to "mutton bustin'" and music, a parade, a tiny train ride for kids, classic cars and street rods, and of course a pancake breakfast. See the Buffalo Bill Days website for more information.

In addition to Buffalo Bill Days, re-enactors and folks who love to celebrate hold an event on his birthday in February, and a Christmas Ball in December, a tradition in the old West when people from far and wide came together and celebrated with dancing and good times. At these events as well, organizers take one break from tradition - no shootin' off your guns, folks!

http://www.buffalobilldays.com/bbdays2007_schedule.html

http://www.buffalobilldays.com/

http://www.denver365.com/index.php?app=eventDetail&id=74125

http://www.americanwest.com/pages/buffbill.htm